The Acer Swift X offers a solid balance of portability and performance at a lower cost, which makes it suitable for everyday use and light gaming. However, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, while more expensive, boasts higher performance capabilities especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, but sacrifices some portability due to its larger size and shorter battery life. The ASUS also has a more colorful and faster-refreshing display, potentially enhancing the gaming and multimedia experience. If you prioritize power and display quality over battery life and portability, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is preferable. If you seek a more affordable and portable laptop for general use, consider the Acer Swift X. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2023)
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
Very good for gaming and AI
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9/10
8.5/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 outperforms the Acer Swift X for gaming and 3D tasks, primarily because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240 Hz, compared to the Acer's Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and 120 Hz refresh rate. The CPU and screen quality are also somewhat better on the ASUS, further enhancing its suitability for demanding applications.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
8.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design, though the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.0/10
9.0/10
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
627.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 for software development, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Acer Swift X and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 offer crisp visuals and comfortable brightness due to their high-resolution panels and ample screen brightness, making them ideal for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video streaming. Regarding engineering and design, they shine with wide color gamuts, ensuring that professionals dealing with color-sensitive work, such as graphic design and photo editing, are seeing accurate color representation. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications since they lack high refresh rate screens, which are crucial for smooth motion and a more immersive experience in fast-paced games and simulations.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,842
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 costs $1,842.
The Acer Swift X (2023) and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is well-suited for general use due to its balance of a high-performance CPU, sufficient RAM, high-quality but not overly large screen, impressive battery life and light weight, making it very portable. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, while also offering a strong CPU and ample RAM, has a larger, more vivid display and superior speaker quality, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable but potentially more enjoyable for multimedia and demanding applications.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 compare to other laptops
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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